Airlines Say IRS Decision
Threatens Passenger Safety

NEW YORK -- A controversial Internal Revenue Service decision that airlines say could undermine passenger safety is being applied more broadly than the IRS maintains, industry representatives contend.

Senior IRS officials have been trying to play down the significance of a recent "technical advice memorandum." The IRS said costs incurred in connection with aircraft-engine inspections at an airline cannot be deducted in a single year but must instead be spread over a longer period. The IRS says the decision...